Music Project Among Grant Recipients

Ten regional oral history projects are that much closer to completion thanks to grants awarded by the Kentucky Oral History Commission. One of those projects explores the history of Lexington’s underground music scene. Sarah Milligan with the Kentucky Oral History Commission says narrowing down the grant requests is no easy task. "It is a really, really difficult job to try and choose which applications get funding," she says.

The winners, she says, are often the proposals that pinpoint gaps in the state’s historical record. One such project, Mick Jeffries’ “The Underground Sound,” earned grant funding this year. In it, Jeffries plans to gather historical records and interview patrons of a short-lived Lexington nightclub called Cafe LMNOP popular in the late ‘70s. He describes the club as " a particular flash point in the history of Lexington offbeat culture and in some ways, I've imagined that it gave permission to a whole class of Kentuckians who wanted to live a little bit more on the wild side."

Jeffries hopes to interview as many patrons and employees as he can find. He’s inviting anyone with a Café LMNOP story to search the name on Facebook, join his group, and share their memories.